Machine for making retractable tubing



May 2, 1950 R. H. MURPHY 2,506,232

MACHINE FOR MAKING RETRACTABLE TUBING Filed May 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 T INVENTOR F050;? Ma/PP/w M JM ATTORN EYS May 2, 1950 R. H. MURPHY 2,506,232

MACHINE FOR MAKING RETRACTABLE TUBING I Filed May 2, 1944 I 4 Sheets-Sheet? E l I l' I 1 T ,u

: i" T u!"' NVENTOR T5. E. POBf/PT Wo/e/wy MMJM ATTORN EYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 2, 1944 wukw ,4 BYMJ.

ATTORN EYS y 1950 R. H. MURPHY 2,506,232

MACHINE FOR MAKING RETRACTABLE TUBING Filed. May 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTO R fiaaz r Mam /7 y M LJM ATTORN EYS Patented May 2, 1950 Robert HQMiirph Y; West iii ma, Conn, itssigiior to The Wiremold ct Conn georporation of com Aiiiilicationfiai i, 1944, "'siialipio. 533.782

v'rGlaiins.

. 1 i This invention relates to machines and ineth ods for forming tubing and more particularly to machines and methods for forming tubing cornp'rising' a spiral supporting member and a fie x i ble o'r retractable strip. It is an object of this invention to provide a machine for forming tubing of the class described by an improved method whereby the edges of the flexible or retractable strip are secured together along a spiral seam by the supporting member in such manner that the supporting member is covered by flexible or retractable strip. It is alsoan object of this invention to provide a machine of simple andr'ugged construction which is efficient in opera tion and of low cost to manufacture and which is readily adaptable for the manufacture of tubing of different diameters.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of this'inventi'o'n Fig. 1 is a partial view in side elevation of a tube forming machine in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view taken as on line 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig.4 is a partial view in endelevation looking from the right in Fig. 1; i V

Fig. 5 ma partial view in elevation looking from the'right in Fig.3; i v

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical transverse Section takenas on line (i=6 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are transverse sectional views showing the joint between the edges of the re tractable striplat different stages in the securing of the edges of the strip together by the support ing spiral in the operation of the machine, Fig. '7 showing'the supporting spiral as it is fed to-the machine; Fig. 8, the relation of the overlapping edges of the retractable strip and the binding wire to each other and to the supporting spiral before the edges of the retractable strip and the binding wire are forced into the trough of the supporting spiral, and Fig. 9 showing the edges of the retractable strip and the binding wire as forced into the trough of the'spiral and Fig. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a completed sectionof tubing, the tubing being"- and upper base ment rs i and 3, respectively. Secured'tothe upper base them-bera Eiit or standard thaving an enlarge-a boss 8 bored receive a sleeve-"8 mounted on roller bearings 150 in the boss '6. The sleeve 8 is flanged atoneenii, as at l2, and' a sprocket I4 iss'ec" ed t sense 12 by bolts 16. At its other 'end'the'sleeve a a bevel gear 18 secured thereon hi} it key-l0 and setscrew 2|. Extending through "the sleeve {3 {is a sleeve 22 which projects at 106th "en the sleeve 8 and at one end-exten s ing in aboss 23 on'a nfend'piece 24 secured to" standard 4 by bolts l5.v "The boss is partly cut from the end piece 24 and is still; through= out its'len th so as to be drawntogether' ty'bolts 26 to hold the Sleeve '22 against movement. H Mounted on the sleeve 2:2"adja'cent the gear- 4 8 is a split collar 28 which is eiainped against movement 'on'the sleeve 22 by abolt 30. The col: la): 28 is provided with aprbj'ctiDn 3"] ha/viii an inclined race at 31' against whichhear's a bevel gear 33 which meshes withthe gearIB and journal'ed on a'bearing pin 32 secuieflii'i'tfie ch1- l-ar 28. The gear 33 is formed with a pm-eating hub which is cut away at its outer end t pro e a seame a gamin roll '34 secured to the ai' hub by bolts'35. U n I,

The mnaa cooperates wane si'mn'e'r ran 35 re cured by bolts 31 to its seat on the hiib ragear 38. The gear 38 meshes with'the geer'sfaeh jourri-aled on a bearing pin '39 mounteuieacoi lar 40. The pin 39 secures the gen- '38 lt'o'jt't seat on an inclined face 4 I on a projection [I an the collar 40. The inclined faces on he coil" 5 serve to maintain the cooperating .fo ininfg'l 34 and 36 at the proper angle to enable the grooves 34' and 36 in the respective rolls to together the sides of the metallic supportin $151 ral 56 of the tubing. The collar 40 snugly but movably mounted on the sleeve 22 and asset in position on the sleeve 22 by a pin 42 whieh' extends through slots 43 in opposite sides urine sleeve 22 and which tightly fits an openingin-a' rod 44 slidably mounted in the'sleeve 2-2, The rod 44 projects beyond the sleeve 2-2 .at'thegboss 23 and has its end threaded .to receive nuts 45 which maintain under suitable compression "9, spring Mi surrounding the and 44 and =-conflned between the nuts :45 and the sleeve 22-. "I- h'e spring 46 serves to yieldingly maintain the 1 cm operating rolls '34 and 36 in proper operativekrw lation but permitsjthe r011 36 to be inoli'ed 'a w'iili from the ran an?! theevem an extreahiexnsss collar 40 and rod 44 moving relatively to the sleeve 22 at this time.

The rolls 34 and 36 are driven in opposite directions from the gear I8 through the gears 33 and 38. The gear I8 is driven from a motor 48 mounted on the lower bed plate 2 by a sprocket 49 on the motorshaft connected by a chain 50 to another." sprocket I which is fixed on a shaft 52 journaled in bearing brackets 53 carried by the upper bed plate 3. At one end the shaft 52 has fixed thereon a small sprocket 54 connected by a chain 55 to the sprocket I4 which, as'stated, is

fixed on the sleeve 8.

In forming the tubing, strip metal of sufficient length to form the length of tubing desired is passed through forming rolls to give it a U-shape with the edges curled back, such as the shape of the strip 56 shown in Fig. '7, and at the same time the formed strip is coiled in helical shape. The coiled strip is placed upon a tubular support 58carried by a pin 59 engaged in the end plate 24 and is guided by suitable guide rolls as it moves about the machine to the rolls 3d and 36. Before the formed strip 56 passes between the rolls 34 and, the edges of a suitable collapsible strip, as a textile strip 66, are overlapped over the trough of the strip 56 and the binding or retaining wire or cord 6 I is placed over the overlapped edges of the strip 66, as shown in Fig. 8. The wire or cord 6| is under suificient tension to force the overlapping edges of the strip 66 into the trough of the strip 56- and to hold the overlapping edgesof the strip 69 in that position, as shown in-Fi g. 9, as the strip 56, the overlapping edges of the strip 66 .andwire or cord 69 pass between the rolls 34 and 36. The rolls 36 and 36 press in the sides of the trough in the metal strip 56, as shown in Fig. 10, so that the overlapping edges of the strip 66 are frictionally held between the sides of .the trough of the metal strip 56 and between the Wire or cord 6! and the metal strip 56..

' To guide the helix formed of the strip 56 to the rolls 34 and 36, there is provided a plurality of. guide rolls 62 (three being shown in Fig. 5), mounted on pins 63 fixed in yokes 6d. The yokes 64 each'have a stem, one being pivotally mounted in an, opening in a pin 65 as shown in Figure 3 ajhdthe other two stems being pivotally mounted in openings in rods29. The pin 66 and rods 29 are mounted in openings in bosses 66 on a plate 61 secured to thestandard e by bolts 68. They e'xtendthrough plate 6'! into recesses 58 in the standard v4. At their opposite ends the rods 26 extend intujopenings in a bracket TI mounted on.thejsleeve 22. The upper portions of the guide rolls 62 project through openings in a semicylindrical cover plate 16 secured to the standard [by suitable screws (not shown).

,i Similar to the guide rolls 62 and similarly mounted in yokes 66 which are pivotally mounted inbrackets' I I, I2, and I3 are three rolls 62 The brackets II, I2 and '55 are secured by screws l4 t fiat surfaces formed upon the lower portion of the boss 6, at points equally spaced around the lower half of the boss 6.

The textile strip 66 may be supplied from a suitable roll I4 rotatably mounted on a support I5carried by a-frame member I. From the roll the strip may pass over suitable guide rolls 76 carried by brackets secured to a frame member I and the base member 3 while the cordor wire 6| may be fed from a suitable spool or reel (not shown) mounted adjacent the machine and passed over guide rolls 1.8, suitable braking means i, z a i 1 being applied to the reel or spool so as to place the wire or cord 6| under the desired tension.

The tubing, as its passes from the rolls 34, 36 is guided and supported by the engagement of themetallic strip 56 in suitable guide rolls 80, 82 82 82" (see Figures 3 and 5). These guide rolls are supported by the rods 29 and by the bracket 'II respectively. The bracket" has a portion 'I'I formed as a split collar fitting the sleeve 22 and adapted to be tightened by a bolt 18 to tightly engage the sleeve 22 and hold the bracket 11 in adjusted position. The tubing guide roll is rotatably mounted in a yoke 8I which has a stem pivotally supported in a recess inthe bracket TI. The tubing rolls 82 and 82 are mounted in yokes whose stems are pivotally mounted in rods 28 and pins 83, respectively (see Figure 5), the pins 83 being fixed in openings in the bracket TI. For supporting the two guiding rolls 82 there is secured to the bracket 11 by the bolt 85 a bracket 86 having openings in which are pivotally mounted a yoke supporting a roll 82 and a yoke supporting a roll 62. The roll 32 cooperate with the rolls 80, 82 and 82 in guiding the tubing after the metal strip 56 has passed between the rolls 34 and 36 while the roll 62 cooperates with the rolls 62 and 62 in guiding the metal strip 56 to the rolls 34 and 36. The various guide rolls are positioned axially of the machine to conform to the helical shape of the strip 56.

As the tubing passes from the rolls 34, 36 to the first of the guide rolls, a roller 84 (Figure 4) adjustably supported on a standard 86 carried F by the bed plate 3 bears against the tubing so as to press the metal strip 56 against the first guide roll, (one of the rolls 82 as shown in Fig. 5), while an inclined roller 88 adjustably supported by a standard 90 carried by the base plate 3 bears against the side of the metal strip 55 so as to maintain the helical coil of the strip 56 spread apart and to cause the tubing to move away from the rolls 34, 36.

To receive the tubing as it passes from the machine there is provided a cylinder 92 having rings or collars 93 at its ends by which it is rotatably mounted on rolls 94- suitably mounted on supports 95 carried by the bed plate 3. Rolls 95 suitably mounted on a support 91 carried by the bed plate 3 engage opposite sides of a ring 93 to prevent longitudinal movement of the cylinder. Intermediate its ends, the cylinder 92 is provided with a flanged collar 98 which rides on supporting rolls 99 mounted on supports I66 carried by the bed plate 3. The collar 98 serves as a pulley to rotate the cylinder 92 and is engaged by a belt I6I driven by a pulley I02 fixed on an end of a shaft I63. The shaft I63 is journaled in a bearing I64 supported from a frame member I and has fixed on its other end a gear I65 which engages with a gear I66 fixed on the shaft 52 which is driven from the motor 48.

The cylinder 92 is open at the end adjacent the rolls 34, 36 to receive the tubing as it is formed and is closed at its other end by a slide I68 having a handle H9 and open ended slots I I I at each side to fit over threaded pins I I2 fixed in the end ring 93. Wing nuts I I4 threaded on the pins II2 secure the slide in position. The cylinder 92 is of less length than the extended length of the finished tubing so that the tubingis collapsed after it engages the slide I 08. The. rotation of the cylinder 92 is adjusted to give the cylinder a peripheral speed substantially greater than the rate of feed of the metal strip 56 by the rolls 34,

36 so as to assist the retracting and packing or the finished tubing in the cylinder 92.

Many modifications within the scope of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art and therefore the invention is not limitedjto the specific form and embodiment shown.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for forming tubing of a strip of collapsible material and a helix of strip metal clamping the overlapping edges of the collapsible material together, a standard having a bearing opening therein, a sleeve rotatably mounted in said bearing opening, a second sleeve mounted in said first sleeve, means holding said second sleeve against rotation, cooperating rolls for clamping the helix on said collapsible material, means supporting said rolls from said second sleeve, said supporting means being constructed and arranged to permit relative displacement of said cooperating rolls, means for driving said cooperating rolls from said first sleeve, driving means for said first sleeve and means yieldingly opposing relative displacement of said cooperating rolls.

2. In a machine for forming tubing of a strip of collapsible material and a helix of strip metal clamping the overlapping edges of the collapsible material together, a standard having a bearing opening therein, a sleeve journaled in said opening, means for operating said sleeve, a second sleeve mounted in said first sleeve, means connectlng said second sleeve and standard and preventing rotation of said second sleeve, cooperating rolls for clamping the helix on the collapsible material, means for operating said ccoperating rolls from said first sleeve, relatively movable means supporting said cooperating rolls from said second sleeve and means yieldingly opposing relative movement of said supporting means.

3. In a machine for forming tubing of a strip of collapsible material and a helix of strip metal clamping the overlapping edges of the collapsible material together, a standard having a bearing opening therein, a sleeve journaled in said opening, means for operating said sleeve, a second sleeve mounted in said first sleeve, means preventing rotation of said second sleeve, cooperating rolls for clamping the helix on the collapsible material, means for operating said cooperating rolls from said first sleeve, supporting means for one of said cooperating rolls fixed on said second sleeve, supporting means for the other of said cooperating rolls slidably mounted on said second sleeve and means yieldingly opposin movement of said supporting means on said second sleeve.

4. In a machine for forming tubing of a strip of collapsible material and a helix of strip metal clamping the overlapping edges of the collapsible material together, a standard having a bearing opening therein, a sleeve journaled in said opening, means for operating said sleeve, a second sleeve mounted in said first sleeve, means preventing rotation of said second sleeve, cooperating rolls for clamping the helix on the collapsible material, means for operating said cooperating rolls from said first sleeve, supporting means for one of said cooperating rolls fixed on said second sleeve, supporting means for the other of said cooperating rolls slidably mounted on said second sleeve, a rod slidably mounted in said second sleeve and movable with said movable roll supporting means and a spring engaging said rod to oppose relative displacement of said cooperating rolls.

5. In a machine for forming tubing of a strip of collapsible material and a helix of strip metal clamping the overlapping edges of the collapsible material together, a standard having a bearing opening therein, a sleeve rotatably mounted in said bearing opening, a second sleeve mounted in said first sleeve, means holdin said second sleeve against rotation, cooperating rolls for clamping the helix on said collapsible material, means supporting said rolls from said second sleeve, said supporting means being constructed and arranged to permit relative displacement of said cooperating rolls, means for driving said cooperating rolls from said first sleeve, means yieldlngly opposing relative displacement of said cooperating rolls and guiding means substantially maintaining the helix of the desired diameter around said sleeves as the helix passes to and from said cooperating rolls.

ROBERT H. MURPHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

